JACKSONVILLE'S GOOD, BAD, AND UGLY (2 OF 7)

No one could tell a story the way Jesus tells a story. In Matthew 13 the Lord Jesus gives us a
series of seven parables or stories which He calls the mysteries of the kingdom. A mystery in the New
Testament is a truth which could not be known unless God reveals it. It is a mystery in the heart of God
and in the time and in the planning and purpose of God He reveals it to His children. So, in these seven
parables of Matthew 13, we have the kingdom parables, the mystery parables. These parables explain to
us what is going on in our world. You could well title Matthew 13, "What in the World Is God Doing?"
These stories of the Lord Jesus Christ give us an explanation of some of the questions that we raise about
what's going on in our world.
You have to have the right question if you are going to get the right answer. I heard about a man
who walked up to another man who had a dog beside him. The man said, "Say, mister, does your dog
bite?" He said, "Nope." The man reached down to pet the dog and the dog bite him. He said, "I thought
you said your dog didn't bite." He said, "He don't, this ain't my dog." You have to have the right questions
if you are going to get the right answers.
The Lord Jesus gives us the right questions. One of the questions we raise in our day is - will
everybody respond to the Gospel and be saved? The Lord Jesus answers that question with the story of
the sower and pointed out to us that some of the seed will be productive and other of the seed will not be
productive.
We have another question that is raised in the parable of the wheat and the tares. Is the world
getting better or is the world getting worse? I want to localize ...

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